I'm a first generation American and usually pretty happy about that. But every now and then, my blood runs orange.* Netherlands orange, that is. Mostly during the Winter Olympics and the World Cup. Because skating and soccer are part of my heritage, like red wheels of cheese and chocolate sprinkles on buttered bread. Which is why when I found out the King of the Netherlands had a HUGE secret, I Had to know what was up!
The King Of The Netherlands Has A Huge Secret, Sort Of...
Anyway. Dutch royal family members don't make it into the U.S. news (or "news") very often. Which is why, amid a Keep Reading >>>

In my ongoing decent into eccentric aunt territory, I have become...a knitter. A person who knits in public.
And like a lot of knitters, I will wax poetic about how much I love to knit, and how soothing the rhythm of the needles can be, blah blah blah. But when I have my knitting out (because I'm the kind of person who knits in public, because why not) I meet two kinds of people: Those who knit. Those who don't think they can knit. It's because of this I'm going to share a bit of information on how to learn to love knitting. An eccentric aunt's guide to learning to love knitting, so to Keep Reading >>>

It’s a post-Fifty Shades of Grey world, and there is a huge demand for super-sexy romantic novels. Authors work hand over fist to supply readers with what they want, and as a freelancer, I copy edit a lot of erotic romance.
What does a copy editor do? Nitpick, mostly. Take a sex scene—the writer’s job is to describe the action and the emotions of the characters. My job is to make sure there aren’t too many hands or too few commas.
I respect all my clients and their books, not matter how racy. But let’s face it—the fact that I have Googled “accidental butt-sex” as part of my job is a bit Keep Reading >>>

Until I moved to Fort Worth, I think I got called to jury duty more often than some people go to the dentist. That’s what happens when you live in a county with more cattle than people. It wasn’t exactly a crime-riddled area, but when you did have a local offender, you had to go through hundreds of candidates to find twelve who didn’t know him.
Mostly, though, the sheriff’s department kept busy because the main route between Mexico and Houston ran through the county, so you’ve got speeding spring breakers, and you’ve got drug traffic.
Which is where I come in. And then the most bizarre Keep Reading >>>

I have a shameful admission to make: I don’t like Girl Scout Cookies.
I think Samoas might be the Pumpkin Spice Latte of the cookie world. It’s not that it’s so good, you just can’t get it all year long. Does anyone really like Thin Mints, or do we all just pretend so we don’t look like assholes? Look, the girls are cute and the cause is great, but the cookies suck and they're sucking my wallet dry.
You're Cute, Kid, But Your Cookies Suck...
This isn’t a political statement. The Girl Scouts of America is an admirable organization, impressive in its inclusiveness, with programs that Keep Reading >>>